Inventure Renewables, Inc.

Cory O'Neil Blanchard

Ryan Alexander Long

William Rusty Sutterlin

Timothy Nelson Brown

Endre Mihaly

Hayden Sawyer

Nathan Killingsworth

Christopher Check

Provided are methods or processes for producing ferulic acid from a plant material, for example, a rice bran or its derivatives. Provided are methods comprising an ion swapping and solvent extraction process followed by a chromatographic separation operations that are coupled into a process which functions to recover a fraction rich in gamma-oryzanol, thus enabling the subsequent production of a high purity ferulic acid. Provided are methods comprising an ion swapping and solvent extraction process followed by a process which functions to recover a fraction rich in gamma-oryzanol, or a mixture of ferulic acid esters of phytosterols and triterpenoids, optionally comprising cycloartenyl ferulate, 24-methylenecycloartanyl ferulate, and/or campesteryl ferulate, to enable the production of a high purity ferulic acid. Provided are methods comprising a saponification and solvent extraction process followed by recovering a fraction rich in gamma-oryzanol to enable the production of a high purity ferulic acid.

Methods for the production of ferulic acid

Provided are industrial processes for producing an organic acid alky ester from a feedstock containing organic acids and/or saponifiables, comprising: countercurrently contacting a feedstock with an organic alkylating reagent over two or more vessels or stages at temperature between 100° C. and 400° C. and pressure between 0.1 barg and 355 barg while simultaneously removing water and/or glycerin with unreacted alkylating reagent from the final vessel or stage to result in a first reaction method product containing organic acid alkyl esters, followed by a choice of using the alkyl esters as-is, purifying the organic acid alkyl esters from the first reaction product mixture or subjecting the first reaction product mixture to an additional transesterification reaction to convert saponifiables into additional organic acid alkyl esters, then purifying the organic acid alkyl esters from this second reaction method product.

Apparatus and systems for improved alkyl ester production from feedstocks containing organic acids using low pressure alkylation

Processes and systems for improved alkyl ester production from feedstocks containing organic acids using low pressure alkylation

Provided are industrial processes for producing an organic acid alky ester from a feedstock containing organic acids and/or saponifiables, comprising: countercurrently contacting a feedstock with an organic alkylating reagent over two or more vessels or stages at temperature between 100&#xb0; C. and 400&#xb0; C. and pressure between barg and 355 barg while simultaneously removing water and/or glycerin with unreacted alkylating reagent from the final vessel or stage to result in a first reaction method product containing organic acid alkyl esters, followed by a choice of using the alkyl esters as-is, purifying the organic acid alkyl esters from the first reaction product mixture or subjecting the first reaction product mixture to an additional transesterification reaction to convert saponifiables into additional organic acid alkyl esters, then purifying the organic acid alkyl esters from this second reaction method product.

Processes for organic acid alkyl ester production using low pressure alkylation

Provided are industrial processes for producing a fatty acid alkyl ester from a natural oil feedstock or a mixed lipid feedstock, wherein the natural oil feedstock comprises a free (un-esterified) organic acid such as a free fatty acid, comprising: producing fatty acid alkyl esters using an alcoholysis reaction such as a vapor phase alcoholysis reaction or a supercritical alcoholysis reaction, wherein the alcoholysis reaction takes place under conditions comprising: mixing the natural oil feedstock and/or mixed lipid feedstock and alcohol into an alcoholysis reactor or equivalent, and then depressurizing, and then recovering the fatty acid alkyl esters from the alcoholysis reactor or equivalent by distillation in a distillation column, leaving a still pitch or distillation bottoms in the distillation column or equivalent, wherein the fatty acid alkyl esters can be removed from the alcoholysis reactor or equivalent with or without cooling of the reaction mixture prior to depressurization.

Systems and methods for fatty acid alkyl ester production with recycling

Provided are methods and systems for treating a soapstock. Provided are systems and methods for treating a soapstock to generate free fatty acids and/or fatty acid derivatives, and for realizing the full fatty acid yield of a soapstock by first converting substantially all of the saponifiable material in a soapstock to fatty acids and acidulating the soaps to generate free fatty acids and/or fatty acid derivatives, wherein the soapstock comprises soaps and saponifiable lipids, and the generating of free fatty acids is achieved. Provided are systems and methods for realizing the full fatty acid yield of a soapstock by first converting substantially all of the saponifiable material in a soapstock to salts of fatty acids and acidulating the soaps to generate free fatty acids and/or fatty acid derivatives, wherein the soapstock comprises soaps and saponifiable lipids, and the generating of free fatty acids is achieved.

Methods for making free fatty acids and fatty acid derivatives from mixed lipid feedstocks or soapstocks

Provided are processes and products of manufacture that provide a green solution to the hydrolysis of C8/C10 methyl ester to fatty acids. Provided are reactive distillation processes for producing an aliphatic acid and an alcohol as hydrolysis products. Provided are processes and products of manufacture encompassing the hydrolysis of fatty acid alkyl esters to an aliphatic acid and an alcohol by a reactive distillation process. Provided are processes and products of manufacture useful for equilibrium-limited reactions and for the separation of azeotropic mixtures. Provided are reactive distillation products of manufacture and processes for alkyl alkanoate hydrolysis comprising a reaction column comprising a rectifying rectifying zone for further distillation, a reaction zone, and a stripping zone wherein products are separated from reaction mixtures, where a water stream and fatty acid alkyl ester stream can be fed into the reaction section.

Reactive distillation process/equipment for fatty acid ester hydrolysis to produce carboxylic acid and alcohol

In alternative embodiments, provided are methods and industrial processes for generating pulp from lignocellulosic feedstocks, comprising directly contacting a lignocellulosic feedstock with a system comprising a super critical or sub-super critical fluid or mixture of fluids, whereby the partial pressure of the system provides for the hydrolysis or a combination thereof of the feedstock at reduced temperatures and pressures, followed by an upgrading step wherein a low-purity cellulosic material generated in the super critical or sub-super critical reaction step is treated with an alkaline solution. In alternative embodiments, provided are systems and methods for producing a cellulose material using reduced amounts of water.

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Birmingham, AL, United States of America

Cory O'Neil Blanchard